Safety record ‘good’ on Chch building sites

Press, 21 February 1987, Page 12

Safety record ‘good’ on Chch building sites

Hand in hand with the building boom occurring throughout New Zealand come inevitable construc-tion-site accidents.

Many, such as the dramatic collapse of a crane on an Auckland hotel site, have made headlines.

However, considering the many sites under development, the number of on-site or site-related accidents has not increased in proportion. Christchurch, in particular, had a very favourable safety record, said Mr George Pitcher, supervising construction safety inspector for the Christchurch branch of the Labour Department. "Christchurch has the biggest building boom I have seen in my experience and our accident statistics have not shown a big increase at all,” he said.

Some problems were peculiar to the North Island, such as misunderstandings because of language barriers. The Labour Department now produced their safety films in Tongan and Samoan to improve the situation. "Whether the breakdown in communication is

causing the accidents, I cannot tell, but I believe it does contribute,” said Mr Pitcher.

Construction safety inspectors were responsible for making sure that the Construction Act 1959, and the Construction Regulations, 1961, were obeyed. They had to be notified of certain construction work, such as any work above 5m high* or an excavation more than 1.5 m deep. Certificated safety supervisors had to be employed on every construction site to make sure the rules and regulations were enforced.

Erecting scaffolding above 8m and using explosives for blasting could only be done by persons holding a relevant certificate of competency. This was decided by the Construction Safety Board. Most crane operators were nationally registered members for which they had to have used a crane accident-free for more than 100 hours, as well as passing a national examination and a full medical test.

"The ultimate responsibility lies with the employer or contractor. On the whole, the standard in

Christchurch is good,” he said.

He said this safety record was most encouraging considering the speed of the building industry. "Schedules are so tight today that sometimes regulations are overlooked,” he said.

The demolition and reconstruction of buildings on sites surrounded by other buildings increased danger factors, Mr Pitcher said.

At present Christchurch had a few “crash zones” that were potentially hazardous, where two or more cranes were working within striking distance of each other. “But when human beings are involved there is always an element of risk which can only be minimised as much as nature will permit,” he said.

The regulations covered a wide variety of con-struction-related situations. Safety inspectors were often stretched to their limit keeping up with duties, Mr Pitcher said.

He said that inspectors’ jobs were not made easier by simple breaches of regulations, such as workmen refusing to wear pro-

tective helmets on site.

“I do believe a major problem is the workmen themselves. Some . . .

seem to take delight in taking risks that are not necessary,” he said.

He said there used to be a group named the Turtle Club for workmen who had been saved by their helmets.

“It was surprising how many members there were.”

"Court proceedings are very rarely instituted unless the contractor has had prior warnings,” Mr Pitcher said.

Three cases had already been brought before the courts this year. Mr Pitcher said he had another four or five still pending. Although construction safety inspectors were also responsible for checking health and welfare factors, such as the provision of on-site toilets, first-aid kits, and other amenities, it was unusual for breaches of these standards to be brought before the court.

Inspectors preferred cooperation to enforcement. This was why court cases usually involved only breaches of safety regulations.